Story Sundays: Lucky Bamboo, Agnieszka Stachura

If the goodness, graciousness, and gratefulness of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend have finally caught up with you, and you are secretly wishing Monday would hurry up and come around so you could get back to the witty banter, gossip, and snark of the office watercooler, you may enjoy spending a few minutes with the wickedly pointed, funny short story Lucky Bamboo, by Agieszka Stachura, at Prick of the Spindle literary magazine.

Lucky Bamboo is the story of an inter-office romance that breaks up a marriage, as seen through the eyes of the offending lovers' fellow employees. Our narrator is a nameless officeworker who speaks on behalf of them all, and we learn that the lovers' transgressions are not merely those against their marriages, but also against the office culture as a whole. The woman, Claire, has never fit in - she doesn't decorate her cubicle, she doesn't attend office birthday parties... and now this. Just who does she think she is?

The fact that said husband has hairy shoulders and no neck to speak of is no justifiable excuse. Claire’s not the first woman to make do with happily enough ever after.

The story will make you laugh, and perhaps wince, at the same time, for there is something recognizable in these employees' resentment of those who make different choices, who reject traditions, and who dare to be happy in unconventional ways.

You may enjoy this delightful story online here.

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Story Sundays are all about short fiction here on the blog. This weekly meme was created by Ellen at Fat Books, Thin Women and is also celebrated at Novelniche: A Place for Books.  Be sure to check out their blogs for wonderful short fiction selections and other excellent reviews. All stories reviewed can be read free online.


Happy reading!

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